Whiting: Trayvon Martin trial verdict reveals society's fissures

July 18, 2013

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 12:28 p.m.

1 of 7

Thomas A. Parham, UCI's vice chancellor for student affairs, speaks to the crowd during a "Listening Session" on African-American life in Orange County at the Christ Our Redeemer AME Church in Irvine. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

1 of 7

Ron Owens, acting assistant fire marshal for the Oceanside Fire Department, speaks as an individual in calling the Trayvon Martin verdict spot on and saying this is a time to learn. Here, Owens awaits other honor guard members at the recent funeral in Arizona for 19 firefighters. DAVID WHITING, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

1 of 7

Rev. Mark Whitlock of the Christ The Redeemer Church in Irvine. Whitlock organized the "Save Our Children" conference which dealt with how to rehabilitate and rescue at-risk African-American and Latino youth. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Heinn Dadabhoy honors the memory of Trayvon Martin during his vigil Tuesday at Sasscon Park in Santa Ana. MICHAEL LOPEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

1 of 7

This combo image made from file photos shows Trayvon Martin, left, and George Zimmerman. On Saturday, July 13, 2013, jurors found Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Martin in Sanford, Fla. The six-member, all-woman jury deliberated for more than 15 hours over two days before reaching their decision Saturday night. FILE, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Thomas A. Parham, UCI's vice chancellor for student affairs, speaks to the crowd during a "Listening Session" on African-American life in Orange County at the Christ Our Redeemer AME Church in Irvine. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Regardless of where you stand on the Trayvon Martin verdict, we can all agree on some things, and one is how clever Kathy Bates' character, Bettina, was in HBO's "Six Feet Under."

Bettina tells her friend Ruth that they can shoplift to their heart's content because as older women, they're invisible – people no one pays attention to. What Bettina doesn't mention is that they're white.

I suspect we also can agree that Bates' insightful quip wouldn't have worked if the two actors were black.

Consider what Thomas Parham, vice chancellor for student affairs at UC Irvine and a black man with flecks of gray in his hair, told me last year after Martin was killed. Of his race, Parham said, "That's what makes a security guard follow me in a mall."

Saturday's not-guilty verdict for George Zimmerman has only made many African Americans feel less secure.

Eva Paterson of the Equal Justice Society sent this email about a protest: "One black woman had a sign that said, 'Are my sons next?' One white man had a sign that said, 'Nobody follows me anywhere.'"

But the issues surrounding the verdict aren't black and white. Like race in 21st-century America, the issues are far more complex.

• • •

Despite protests largely by people of color, this isn't a time to mourn for a racially polarized America. Rather, it's a time to mourn the senseless death of a teenager, the senseless acts of an adult and a troubled judicial system.

It's also an opportunity to come together, learn and try to fix what's broken.

In talking with both whites and blacks, it's clear there is much thought and little agreement – among people of the same race. Heck, my wife and I debate what happened in the courtroom.

But this column isn't about my marriage. It's about what some black leaders think. In a county that is less than 2 percent African American, it's especially important to understand minority viewpoints. After all, that's what democracy's about.

Ron Owens, acting assistant fire marshal for the Oceanside Fire Department, lives in South County and doesn't allow race to factor in his life. Speaking not as an official but as an individual, the Navy veteran tells me he doesn't believe the shooting was racially motivated. He also says the verdict was spot-on.

The Rev. Mark Whitlock, senior minister at Christ Our Redeemer AME Church in Irvine, has a very different take.

"Justice was not in the Florida court room on Saturday night," Whitlock tells me. "The truth is, justice for men and boys of color is rarely in the room.

"When the dust settles and the smoke clears, people of color in this country feel the arrows of racial profiling hitting the red bull's-eye on their backs."

Whitlock's are tough words to hear. It was only a few weeks ago that the Supreme Court assured us that the Voting Rights Act was outdated. But the ruling was naive.

Whitlock, minister that he is, offers solutions. "Act we must," he says, "but let us act wisely. Act to change racial profiling; act to train our youth and young adults to finish college, graduate school; act to create jobs instead of being dependent on someone to hire us; act to create a just community."

• • •

Bill Lewis retired from the Westminster Police Department as a commander and now serves as president of the 100 Black Men of Orange County, a chapter of the national organization.

During nearly four decades of law enforcement, Lewis handled hundreds of cases. Of the verdict, he says, "The circumstances of Trayvon's death do not meet the law as it applies to a murder charge, so I was not surprised that the jury acquitted on this charge."

But don't confuse the verdict with justice, Lewis cautions. "I believe that this was a strong case for involuntary manslaughter. But the jury failed to convict on this charge because it appeared to be added by the prosecution as an afterthought."

Lewis also points to which person was the "primary aggressor" – cop talk for the one who gets arrested. "Had Mr. Zimmerman stayed in his home and allowed the police to handle this rather nebulous suspicious-person call, Trayvon would not have been killed. Mr. Zimmerman then proceeded to follow the 'suspect' in his vehicle, which again allowed Mr. Zimmerman a level of safety from any confrontation with the 'suspect.' However, Mr. Zimmerman again decided to raise the stakes and exit his vehicle while armed with a handgun."

Lewis considers the teenager's situation: "I can believe that Trayvon felt threatened after being stalked by a man that he did not know. Under these circumstances, Trayvon may have thrown the first punch because Trayvon also had the right to stand his ground.

"I have responded to many fight calls during my 38 years as a police officer where the person who actually threw the first punch was still the victim because they were not the primary aggressor. Like a lot of young men his age, Trayvon may have had more testosterone than sense, but he was still the victim."

• • •

Among other things, Florida is now known for its "stand your ground" law. But did you know California also has its own "stand your ground"-style law?

Penal code section 197 states "homicide is also justifiable when committed by any person ... in lawfully keeping the peace." The law also says you are justified killing someone when trying to prevent great bodily injury and are in imminent danger.

If that sounds like what Juror B37 said was part of the basis for acquitting Zimmerman, you would be right. But according to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, such reasoning is wrong.

Here's what Holder said this week during a speech before the NAACP: "These laws try to fix something that was never broken. The list of resulting tragedies is long and, unfortunately, has victimized too many who are innocent."

Lewis echoes Holder: "'Stand your ground' laws are ridiculous, as society does not need a law that tells people that we have the right to defend ourselves. These laws only create some loopholes for people who make bad decisions."

After returning from China this week, Parham asks, "What message does the Trayvon Martin verdict send to young African American youth – and the entire community, for that matter – who rather than being protected by supposed 'stand your ground' laws, they are instead victimized by them?"

I have no good answer. But Parham does.

"What a sad day for America," he says, "not simply for the shattered sensibilities we all feel at the injustice rendered in that Florida courtroom, but for the fissure that has been created between what America promises its citizens and her ability to deliver on that promise."

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.